OK, there are so many choices so please edumacate me. I am looking for two calibers for CC weapon:
1. .40
2. 9mm

From all that I read I got as far as hollow point and that's about where it started to get confusing. There are so many choices out there that I don't even know where to begin. I read through some of the posts here and some got more confusing then others. So please bear with me and either edumacate me or direct me towards a good resource of edumacation.

Thanks

August 14th, 2006, 02:51 AM

Leadslinger

Personally of the 2 calibers, I'd pick the .40

As far as carrying ammo is concerned, don't get too worried about

it. Buy a couple different brands of hollow point ammo from different

"Major" manufaturers (Winchester, Remington etc) and see which

ones function best and most accurately in your pistol. Training and

shot placement will beat the "magic" bullet concept everytime.

Good Luck,

:ticking:

August 14th, 2006, 03:20 AM

CLASS3NH

40 S&W is a good choice, but don't underestmate the 9MM with the right bullet.
You could go with Winchester White box in either caliber for target use.
I prefer (or sell at retail level at a store) for protection
9MM Speer Gold Dots, Hornady TAP, Federal Hydrashok all have various bullet weights and should be tried for true reliability before Carry.
40 S&W you'll find a lot of good stuff out there as well, in the above manufacturers, and the same goes with trying several brands before you Carry.
FMJ ammo works almost all the time 99.999%, but if it doesn't, the trouble is usaually found in the feed ramp, mags etc..

August 14th, 2006, 03:32 AM

QKShooter

With PISTOL ammo for Carry Purposes I would Buy & Try focusing on whatever Major Brand hollow point feeds & functions most reliably...making sure that you can hit consistently with it.

August 14th, 2006, 10:52 AM

ccw9mm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leadslinger

Buy a couple different brands of hollow point ammo from different "Major" manufaturers (Winchester, Remington etc) and see which ones function best and most accurately in your pistol.

Yes. This is the most important thing. You can have the "best" and most-powerful "man-stopper" of a bullet in your gun, but if it jams in your gun, then it's worthless.

What works for me: Pick the top five or six bullets that seem good, based on a couple of reviews from respected publications, a review or two from the U.S. FBI or Justice Dept., then a couple reviews from respected long-time shooters on a good firearms-related forum or two. Then, get a couple/three boxes of 50rds of each, for flogging at the next range session. Keep a log, noting performance impressions and every failure to feed, eject or otherwise cycle properly. Out of a half-dozen range sessions and ~500-1000 rounds of a given ammo, you will then know for a fact which the "best" round is for your specific gun, how tightly you hold the gun, what degree of kick/recoil/flame you can handle, etc.

Of course, that takes awhile. But, then, any concealed-carry gun needs to be well-vetted and come out of the "ringer" unscathed.

You're always facing one question: Is it reliable enough to bet your life on? If not, keep searching for one or two generally-available rounds that work well in your gun.

That said ...

9mm is generally known to cycle more-reliably than 40cal, though it certainly depends on the gun & ammo in question. I believe this is primarily due to the range of angles at which a 9mm bullet can enter the leade of a barrel, which is over a much greater range than a short/blunt bullet shape.

Remington Golden Saber JHP 124gr +P has worked well for me in every 9mm semi-auto pistol I've shot, generally better and more reliably than any other ammo I have tried.

Federal HydraShok JHP 115gr also seems to work very well. The 9BP series is one of the most relied upon ammuntion rounds there is, in the 9mm chambering (including law enforcement).

CorBon, Black Hills and some others certainly have hotter loads, but you may or may not find them to work really well in your gun. I've fought with the CorBon JHP 115gr +P's not cycling at all, in my Browning BDM 9mm. They're off the list, for this gun.

Winchester Silver Tips seem to have a good following, as do Speer Gold Dots. Again, seek out ammo that works well in your gun.

August 14th, 2006, 10:53 AM

Huzar

Quote:

Originally Posted by QKShooter

With PISTOL ammo for Carry Purposes I would Buy & Try focusing on whatever Major Brand hollow point feeds & functions most reliably...making sure that you can hit consistently with it.

Thanks guys. To quickly cover couple points: .40 is going to be my primary carry gun and the 9mm might get carried depending on how I'm dressed (the 9mm is slimmer).

In regards to the ammo, what I'm looking for is the types probably more then anything. Are there different flavours of HP ammo? I'm not asking about the bullet weight or brand as much as actual types.

Thanks

August 14th, 2006, 10:56 AM

Huzar

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccw9mm

Yes. This is the most important thing. You can have the "best" and most-powerful "man-stopper" of a bullet in your gun, but if it jams in your gun, then it's worthless.

That's what I'm planning on. I usually go through 200+ rounds each time I hit the range (2~3 times a week).

Quote:

What works for me: Pick the top five or six bullets that seem good, based on a couple of reviews from respected publications, a review or two from the U.S. FBI or Justice Dept., then a couple reviews from respected long-time shooters on a good firearms-related forum or two.

What is the best place to look for reviews? Is there a site that kind of keeps track of those when they come out?

August 14th, 2006, 11:26 AM

ccw9mm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huzar

What is the best place to look for reviews? Is there a site that kind of keeps track of those when they come out?

I have yet to find a single, one-stop-shop type of web site that lists them all. Sadly, it takes a bit of hunting.

From time to time, I have run across various test results and range reports from the FBI, Justice Dept or Police depts., where a dozen different rounds in a given caliber were stressed for few days in order to filter out the shine from the shinola.

Doing a <google> search comes up with a few, if you play around with your search criteria.

FindArticles.com web site, among which you can find the following article: "Duty Loads: Today's Best," by Massad Ayoob, in Guns Magazine, 2002.

Search for the FBI's "wound ballistics seminar" reports. Good stuff.

All of that's fine, and it can be a fun (or exasperating) exercise to filter out good/bad rounds, so long as your choice is generally available and works in your gun.

August 14th, 2006, 11:42 AM

Huzar

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccw9mm

I have yet to find a single, one-stop-shop type of web site that lists them all. Sadly, it takes a bit of hunting.

From time to time, I have run across various test results and range reports from the FBI, Justice Dept or Police depts., where a dozen different rounds in a given caliber were stressed for few days in order to filter out the shine from the shinola.

Doing a <google> search comes up with a few, if you play around with your search criteria.